When you’re piloting an aggro deck against midrange in Magic: The Gathering, the matchup often feels straightforward in Game 1. You’re trying to get under them before their bigger creatures and card advantage engines take over. After sideboarding, though, the dynamic shifts.
Both decks change shape. The aggro player needs to think carefully about speed, resilience, and how much to respect the opponent’s answers. Small adjustments in your 60 can swing the matchup either way.
First, consider how the midrange deck is likely to sideboard. Most midrange lists bring in more cheap interaction: extra removal spells, sweepers, and sometimes lifegain. Cards like additional spot removal or a sweeper can completely reset your early pressure. That means you can’t just rely on dumping your hand and hoping it sticks.
Post-board, you may need to trim some of your weakest one-drops or creatures that die to everything and add threats that generate value immediately or survive common removal. Creatures with haste, recursive threats, or cards that leave something behind when they die become much more important.
Second, think about your role. In Game 1, you are almost always the beatdown. After the board, you’re still aggressive, but you may need to pace yourself. If you suspect sweepers, avoid overcommitting to open mana.
Force them to answer one or two threats at a time. This doesn’t mean you slow down to a control deck. It means you sequence more carefully. For example, holding back a second threat after presenting lethal pressure can protect you from losing everything to a board wipe and running out of gas.
Third, evaluate how you can punish midrange’s slower draws. Many midrange decks rely on stabilizing at a low life total, then turning the corner with a large creature or planeswalker. Post-board, you can lean into cards that finish games quickly or bypass blockers.
Burn spells to close the last few points, evasive creatures, or ways to push damage through stalled boards are key. If they bring in bigger blockers, you may need combat tricks or removal that clears a path for your best attacker rather than trying to grind.
Finally, consider your curve and overall consistency. Aggro decks win by using mana efficiently every turn. When you sideboard, it’s easy to dilute your plan by adding too many reactive cards.
Be disciplined. Every card you bring in should either protect your pressure, answer a specific threat that beats you, or help you close the game. If your deck becomes clunky or top-heavy, midrange will outclass you in the late game.
The goal post-sideboard isn’t to become a different deck. It’s to refine your aggression so that it survives interaction and still ends the game before midrange can fully take control. Thanks for reading.